In the wake of the announcement by the English Premier League (EPL) of the “largest sports media rights deal ever concluded in the UK”[1] at the end of last year, this article considers key takeaways, as well as how this latest EPL deal compares to previous deals and those of other major international sports leagues.… Continue Reading
Following on from the growing popularity and success of the Women’s Super League and the great form of the England’s Women’s Team, there is a real sense of anticipation and excitement ahead of the UEFA Women’s European Championship finals, to be kicked off this Wednesday by England’s Lionesses versus Austria. In late April, the UK … Continue Reading
Big money permanent transfers are usually the headline grabbers but there have been some significant loan moves this window… Tanguy Ndombele from Tottenham to Lyon, Adama Traoré from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Barcelona, Antony Martial from Manchester United to Sevilla, and Aaron Ramsey from Juventus to Rangers, to name just a few of the international loan … Continue Reading
In November, FIFA announced that its Stakeholders Committee (the “FSC”) had approved reforms aimed at strengthening employment rights for female players. These reforms offer necessary protections, such as guaranteed maternity leave, to all female football players playing for a club that is regulated by FIFA. At this stage the changes are only ‘proposed’, but they … Continue Reading
On Sunday evening, a clash of heads between David Luiz and Raul Jimenez in the Premier League match between Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers gave public attention (again) to the issue around concussion protocols in football. Alan Shearer considers it a matter of “life and death” as he urged the sport to change the rules on … Continue Reading
Following the near global suspension of football activity, many clubs were put in the unfortunate position of being unable to satisfy their existing contractual obligations as significant revenue streams from gate receipts, sponsorship and broadcast were all severely impacted. FIFA has recently published a decision which concerns the extent to which the global pandemic has … Continue Reading
Sports Shorts previously commented on the FIFA guidelines that were recently published to address some of the practical issues that arose as a consequence of the COVID-19 crisis. FIFA has now published temporary amendments to its FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (“RSTP“), which are binding. FIFA also published recommendations in response … Continue Reading
On Tuesday, FIFA published a set of guidelines to address some of the practical issues that have arisen as a consequence of the COVID-19 crisis. The key areas of focus were: (1) expiring agreements; (2) frustrated agreements; and (3) registration periods. A number of other issues were also considered in brief. It is important … Continue Reading
Representing one’s country on the international stage has long been reported as the pinnacle of a footballer’s ambition. In present times, the development of international club competitions has challenged that notion. For fans of the English national representative team, the FIFA World Cup 2018 was a fantastic event, capturing mass national support for international football, … Continue Reading
In recent weeks, the media has reacted rather dramatically to the decision handed down by the Brussel’s Court of Appeal on 28 August 2018, in a case brought by Belgian football club RFC Seraing (Seraing). The precise impact of the decision remains to be seen although it is unlikely that this represents the fall of … Continue Reading
Traditionally during the British summer months, sports other than football get to dominate the headlines through the game’s summer break. Despite recent events in Russia lengthening last year’s football season, this weekend saw a number of non-football related events take the sporting headlines: England won a thrilling test match in the first of five this … Continue Reading
As the Turkish Süper Lig draws to a close a record 16 match ban (i.e. the rest of this season and 14 games in the following season) has been given out to Barcelona loanee Arda Turan for pushing a match official during a heated 1 – 1 draw between İstanbul Başakşehir and Sivasspor. After the … Continue Reading
Tonight sees the first of the play-off matches which will ultimately determine the final European representatives at the FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018. The fans of Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Croatia, Greece, Sweden, Italy, Denmark and the Republic of Ireland will all be excitedly following their teams’ progress, hoping that they are able to … Continue Reading
Almost a year ago, Sports Shorts first wrote about FIFA’s decision to refuse a request made by the English and Scottish Football Associations for their players to wear armbands featuring poppies in the match they were due to play on Armistice Day in 2016. The English and Scottish football associations ignored FIFA’s decision and allowed … Continue Reading
On 28 March 2017, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (“CAS”) confirmed in a media release that it had issued a consent award in the arbitration procedure between the Serbian football club FK Partizan and UEFA. That procedure related to the finding of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (“CFCB”) that … Continue Reading
Pop quiz. Who is in charge of the laws of the game of association football? If you said FIFA, you would be wrong. It is in fact the International Football Association Board (“IFAB”) which determines the rules of the world’s most popular sport and has done since its formation in 1886. FIFA, which was not … Continue Reading
On 2 February 2017, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (“CAS”) issued a media release in which it confirmed that it had upheld the FIFA decision by which the football player Hakan Çalhanoğlu (the “Player”) was banned from playing for four months after breaching the terms of an employment contract that he had entered into … Continue Reading
Joel Matip was left out of Liverpool FC’s squad for the 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday afternoon following confusion as to his status with the Cameroon national team. Although Matip was not selected for Cameroon’s final 23-man squad for the African Cup of Nations, and purportedly retired from international duty after his last … Continue Reading
On 2 November 2016, Sports Shorts wrote about the English and Scottish Football Associations’ request for their players to wear armbands featuring poppies. On Friday, the two teams ignored FIFA’s guidance and decided to play with the armband anyway. Our blog post on this issue noted the thorny intersection between sports and politics and the … Continue Reading
The often uneasy crossover between sport and politics has again been thrown into the spotlight this week, with the news that FIFA has turned down a request from the English and Scottish Football Associations for their players to wear armbands featuring poppies when they play each other on Armistice Day. FIFA’s decision has caused uproar. … Continue Reading
On 25 October 2016, FIFA announced that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (the Spanish FA) (the “RFEF”) for breaches relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18. According to FIFA’s press release, the RFEF was found to have: “…violated several provisions concerning … Continue Reading
The Telegraph has today reported that Sam Allardyce, the manager of the England football team, has explained to purported businessmen how they could circumvent the Football Association’s rules that prohibit third party ownership of players. While some of the other revelations in The Telegraph’s report may be more personally embarrassing for Allardyce, it is his … Continue Reading
Sports Shorts recently blogged about Michel Platini, the disgraced former FIFA Vice-President and UEFA President, being granted permission to speak at the UEFA Congress on 14 September 2016. Permission was granted by FIFA’s Ethics Committee, the same body that investigated Platini for taking a 2 million Swiss franc payment from FIFA in 2011 and recommended … Continue Reading
On Monday 5 September 2016, the Kosovo national football team played its first competitive international match, drawing 1 – 1 with Finland in a World Cup qualifier. Valon Berisha, who plays his club football for Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga, was the scorer of Kosovo’s first ever goal in a competitive international football … Continue Reading
